Something has been bugging me!

[asphyxia]

Whats bugging you I cant see your post

Brian

[Lisa]

weird. invisible post.

[Dino]

That would bug me too!...lol

[BoidKeeper]

That did bug me too. Not sure why it would not appear so I'll try to post it in a reply.

Here goes:
It all started back in the thread about the CBOI. My pet peeve in this whole thing we call the herpetoculture is that there seems to be no defining line between the hobbyist and the dealer/breeder. Is a breeder a dealer or a dealer a breeder? If someone breeds a few reptiles does that make him or her a breeder? How many do they have to breed to move from hobbyist to breeder? Do they change their own title? If someone has website is that when they leave the realm of hobbyist and become a dealer or breeder? I just think that John Doe who breeds a few snakes as part of his hobby should not be held to the same standards (what ever they may be) as the person who creates a website and has a company name. Someone else raised the point about whether or not these business fronts are paying their taxes. I wonder if they even have their business names registered. How does one open and run a business selling animals that some provincial governments have deemed as illegal because they are not native or classified as exotic. I guess I’m just tired of all the hypocrisy surrounding herpetoculture. I’m especially losing my patients with all the websites out there selling corns and balls. Not that these people don’t have a right to create a website or to try and sell their snakes but I guess it just bugs me when I see Joe hobbyist trying to look like a big shot breeder or dealer. I too have aspirations of selling the offspring of the animals I breed but I doubt I will ever create a website or give myself a name. I know that for me it is a hobby and that I have no aspirations of trying to make any substantial money at this. I got into it for my love of reptiles and if I make enough to pay for things like new caging and other animals then I’ll be happy. I just don’t ever want to be seen as someone trying to pass themselves off as something they’re not. Finally I would like to end my rant by saying that I think too many people think they are going to make real money at this and in the end I have a suspicion that animals suffer.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Youkai]

I think hobbiest and breeder can be interchangeable. When you're talking about more animals being produced, you can just say large scale breeder.

When I hear the term 'dealer' I usually think of a broker. Someone who, more often then not, does not produce their own animals.

I don't see the problem with websites, as long as they are completely honest. It often gives the seller a way to reach more customers. It gives the buyers a chances to possibly see the parent animals, look through animals for sale, and see information on the seller and their stock. (If the seller chose to include all that information.)
I think a website, as long as it is completely honest, is a useful tool for everyone from a small breeder/hobbiest to the largest broker/dealer/large scale breeder.

I'm a small scale breeder/hobbiest. I'm considering a small website for myself. I produce everything from normal leopard geckos to rarer cave geckos, and I still just make pocket change! I would hope having a well designed site to help my buyers wouldn't make me look like I'm 'trying to be some big shot.' At the very least, I would hope it would make things easier for me and my customers, and also hope that a well designed site would be fun for them to look through.

Also, I'd like to mention that I do not believe that a website changes the status of the breeder/hobbiest/whatever. It's not a status symbol, simply a useful tool. I know personally and know of people who produce many rare animals and do not have websites. This doesn't make them 'just a hobbiest'. I know small scale breeders or people not even breeding their animals who have websites...and it doesn't make them large scale breeders.

[BoidKeeper]

You raise some good points about a wesite. I guess another perpouse they serve may be as a place to post pics of the animals you have for sale so that every time youget an e-mail asking to see a certain animal you can direct them to the site.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Lisa]

I think it's like the difference between a hobby farmer and a regular farmer. A hobby farmer may not make a profit or their main income from farming.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Who cares?

I have a few animals to breed and I am in the process of making a web site. Why does that automatically qualify me as "trying to come off as a big time breeder"? I'd be a fool not to try to reach the largest "market" I can. I'm not looking to make a million bucks or even a profit. I'm just interested in working with the animals I enjoy and possibly covering some of the costs.

Trevor, I'm not trying to shoot you down but what's the big deal? If it bugs you so much seeing the web sites selling corns and balls, don't surf the net!

[BoidKeeper]

cranwill, what can I say, but brain fart and too much flu medication. In my reply I did say that I had the wrong opion on small websites and that I felt that even I could benifit from one. I'm not sure where excatly my beef lies but I think it is with the people that are trying to pass themselves off for something they are not I guess. You're right when you say who cares it's not a big deal I guess I was just venting about a few pet peeves.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Tim_Cranwill]

We've all been there